MacMurray students, faculty shave heads for charity

Six MacMurray College students and a retired professor had their heads shaved Friday night to raise money for charity.

The event, dubbed “Shave for the Brave”, took place at the Gamble Campus Center on the MacMurray campus. The students tried to raise $1,500 for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and exceeded that goal by $300.

This was the idea of psychology major Tasha Morwell of Carterville, who was one of the six students to go bald.

“What really inspired me to do this was a friend of mine who shaved her head during high school for St. Jude’s, and I thought it was such a cool, kind of bold move and a really amazing act and selfless act that she did, and she donated her hair and gave all the money that she got donations for [to] St. Jude’s, and I thought that was really awesome,” says Morwell.

“I wanted to do something really awesome before I graduated from college, and this [is] my senior year, so I figured it was my last really big chance to go do something amazing and a little crazy like this.”

For some of the students, this had personal meaning. Sophomore Andrew Sidock, an accounting major from Meredosia, had his head shaved in remembrance of a friend.

“I’m doing this because I have a friend [who] not too long ago lost his life to cancer, and as a part of a tribute to his memory, I shave my head for him,” says Sidock. “I think St. Jude’s is a worthy charity. For a student body of this size to get together and donate their hair and donate an enormous sum of money is a great thing.”

Sidock (right), getting his head shaved by John Anderson, one of the other students involved.

“We made sure that not only people in Jacksonville were involved, but also from each of our hometowns so that we could each branch out and bring people together for it,” she says.

Four men and three women participated. First-time bald person Jessica Garner of Roodhouse, a junior who is an art major, notes there will be some changes to her daily routine.

“It’ll be quick showers; it’ll be easy, right?” Garner questions, laughing. “No shampoo, it’ll save money, I guess.” Garner admits that out of habit, she’ll still probably be reaching for the shampoo.

What about the fact that bald people have less warmth on top to deal with the bitter cold gripping Jacksonville right now?

“I have lots of hats,” she chuckles.

Two of the students had their hair donated to Locks of Love: Morwell and sophomore deaf education major Taylor Rae Smith of Decatur.

The other students were seniors John Anderson Jr. of Hinsdale, who is studying in the Interpreter Training Program and Dylan Bieker, a criminal justice major from Golden Eagle in Calhoun County. The retired faculty member was Neil Hart, who was a math professor.